My Own Private Oshawa

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My Own Private Oshawa is a theatrical play written and performed by Jonathan Wilson, which premiered in 1996. [1] A one-man show taking place aboard a GO Train in which Wilson is travelling home from Toronto to Oshawa for a visit, the show is performed as a monologue about his childhood experiences as a repressed and closeted gay kid, and the impact of his more flamboyantly gay friend Gordon on his sense of self. [2] The ultimate purpose of the trip, to attend Gordon's funeral following his death of AIDS, is revealed only at the end of the play. [3]

Contents

The play was staged for the first time in July 1996 at the Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was one of the major hits of the festival; [1] due to its popularity, it was later remounted by Tarragon Theatre in the fall. [4] The Tarragon production received two Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations (Small Theatre division) in 1997, for Outstanding New Play or Musical and Outstanding Performance by a Male (Wilson). [5]

Film adaptation

In 1998, the play was optioned by producer Sandra Faire for adaptation as a theatrical film. [6] Directed by Allan Manson, the film directly introduced the plot point that Wilson was an actor performing My Own Private Oshawa as a stage show, but was primarily structured as a conventional narrative with a multi-actor cast rather than being performed exclusively by Wilson. [7] Its cast included Shaun Majumder, Martha Chaves, Gavin Crawford, Lou Eisen, Brigitte Gall, Ed Sahely and Christopher Peterson. The film was screened at the Columbus International Film & Video Festival in 2002, but was not widely distributed until being broadcast by CTV Television Network as a Pride Week special on June 25, 2005. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 Vit Wagner, "Growing up gay in Oshawa". Toronto Star , July 10, 1996.
  2. ↑ Kate Taylor, "A funny thing on the GO train". The Globe and Mail , October 4, 1996.
  3. ↑ Gary Smith, "Play explores realities of growing up gay". Hamilton Spectator , October 12, 1996.
  4. ↑ Andrew Clark, "Take My Oshawa, please: Second City vet goes for the suburban jugular". Toronto Star , October 3, 1996.
  5. ↑ "Major Dora Mavor Moore nominations". Toronto Star , September 12, 1997.
  6. ↑ Andy Hoffman, "SFA Productions has its Own Private feature". Playback , October 5, 1998.
  7. ↑ Christy Chase, "Oshawa gets 'star' role in new movie". Oshawa This Week, June 24, 2005.
  8. ↑ "CTV Celebrates Pride Week with Debut of My Own Private Oshawa, June 25". Canada NewsWire , June 20, 2005.
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